The Necessity of Icons

minasoliman

There was a story I read where a seminarian was attending an Eastern Orthodox liturgy.  The priest had everything he needed except icons.  He went frantically looking for icons.  He couldn't start a liturgy without at least the icons of the Theotokos and Christ Pantrocrator!  EOs seem to unable to pray without icons.  The Syrian Church doesn't seem to have that need.  EOs seem to mistake that as "iconoclasm", but obviously Syrians are not against icons, but they are only embellishments and are venerated if available.  Otherwise, if there's no icon, it's not the end of the world for them.

Are we the same way?  Is there really a dire need to pray with icons around us?  I ask because it's very hard to find a Coptic Church without an icon, and sometimes when liturgies are done in rented places, we still bring icons with us, even if it's printed in cheap paper and laminated.  But is that all necessary in our church?

Theophilus 1

My Coptic priest told me that it's mandatory to have the icon of Christ inside the altar to pray the liturgy. 

Sorry that's all I got. 

In Christ 

Theophilus